His Glory Is Manifested Through You

From today’s reading…

It’s good to be used if it’s God using us to further His will and manifest His glory.

Next month my oldest will turn 24, which means for nearly a quarter-century, I’ve had at least one child asking me how to spell something, how to build something, or how to find something.

While I would sometimes just do it for them if I was in a hurry or if I could tell they were frustrated or distraught, my usual response to “Daddy, how do you spell {insert word}?” was, “How do you think you spell it?”

I knew how to spell the word in question, so it hurt my children to just give them the answer without requiring them to put forth some effort.

So we’d do it together, and I’d encourage and correct them along the way.

Sometimes, to get past this teaching moment, they’d just blurt out what they thought was the correct answer, but they’d form it as a question instead of a confident answer.

They’d say, “Rabbit is spelled r, a, b, b, i,…t?”

That’s when I’d channel my inner Regis Philbin, “Is that your final answer?” or “Are you telling me or asking me?”

In doing so, I’d make them commit.

I’d make them draw a line in the sand.

I’d make them put their pride on the line so the lesson stuck with them so it could serve them forever to be better readers, spellers, writers, communicators, and leaders.

With my youngest turning seven next month, her four sisters still at home, as well as one of her brothers stopping by each day, I’m still doing this daily to some degree for all of them because our roles of parent, leader, guide, teacher, consoler, and disciplinarian to our children never ends, because we love our children, we want what’s best for them, we want them to reach their full potential, and they are—ideally—continually growing.

So allow God to shape you into a tool or a weapon, which is a tool in its own right. As you participate in the sharing of His glory, you will…

Stay the course. Keep the faith. Endure.

Now go sell something.